Aditya slipped an arm around Sabrina’s waist. “I’ll catch you both later. Right now, I want to dance with my beautiful wife.”
Shauna smiled as she watched them dance together, their arms around one another. When she turned back, Akash was watching her.
“I think I see Raashi calling me,” she said quickly.
“Raashi is busy dancing with Keya and Sheena.” Akash tipped his head toward the dance floor, where the three women were laughing and dancing together. “I doubt she’s even thinking about you. You’ll have to come up with a better excuse to run away from me, Shauna.”
“I’m doing no such thing,” she replied.
“Then why have you been switching groups every time you see me approaching?”
“You’re imagining things.”
“Perhaps you’re right, and my imagination is working overtime.” His lips curved slightly. “In that case, I suppose you’ll have no problem staying right here and talking to me.”
She rolled her eyes. Why did he even care if she stayed or left? Why did he always have to challenge her? Ugh.
But now she was stuck. If she walked away now, he’d know he was right. That she was running from him. And worse, he’dknow why. That something about being around him unsettled her. And that was the last thing she wanted Akash to realize. She had to escape from him as soon as she could.
Amusement flickered in Akash’s eyes as he watched her.
“What?” she asked, immediately defensive.
“Nothing,” he said lightly. “You just suddenly look very tense.”
“I am not tense.”
“Shauna.”
God. The way he said her name—drawing it out, splitting it into two soft syllables and stressing the second—sent a small, unwelcome tingle down her spine every single time.
Finding his eyes on hers, she asked, “What?”
“Relax.”
She huffed out a small breath. “It’s hard to relax around you. Historically, whenever you and I are alone, we end up arguing.”
“This morning seemed to prove otherwise.”
“That was a one-off.”
“Or,” he said mildly, “it was proof that we’re capable of not fighting.”
She studied him for a moment, trying to decide if he was teasing her. “So, what are you suggesting?”
“That we continue the truce from this morning.”
She hesitated. Then she dipped her chin slightly. “Alright. Truce it is.”
His smile softened, and the tension she hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying slowly eased from her shoulders. Well… if she was going to spend some time with him, she might as well satisfy her curiosity.
She let out a quiet breath. “So, Dubai, huh?” she asked, trying to sound casual. “Are you thinking about moving there?”
His eyes flicked back to her, a teasing glint appearing in them. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“If only it were that easy.”
His expression softened, the humor fading just a little. “No. Even if I wanted to, my destiny is waiting for me in Mumbai.”
